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to a tangible gift, or the specification of actual ownership. The tithe im-
puted to the priests was an actual gift of produce to them, one tenth of
which they paid as tithe and nine-tenths of which they and their families
consumed (Num. 18:27-30). Joshua 13:3 mentions land "reckoned as
Canaanite" (RSV). The Lord had given it all to Israel, but because of their
failure to drive out the Philistines it was still in Philistine hands. It was
reckoned (imputed) to the people who were in actual possession of it. In
2 Samuel 4:2 the town Beeroth was "reckoned to Benjamin" (RSV). In
fact, the tribe of Benjamin owned that town because in the distribution of
property it had been given to them. (Compare Joshua 9:17; 18:21-25.) The
imputation was a tangible bestowal of property.
Just so, when righteousness is counted (reckoned, or imputed) to us as
it was to Abraham, not only is Christ's righteousness put to our account,
but also it is bestowed upon us. Christ Himself is the gift and we possess
Him in our hearts. Because we trust Him, He comes into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit. Imputation (justification) is Christ's bestowal of Himself upon
us.
The imputation of righteousness is the bestowal of righteousness
and power upon the believer.
"In ourselves we are sinners, but in Christ we are righteous. Having
made us righteous through the imputed righteousness of Christ, God pro-
nounces us just, and treats us as just. He looks upon us as His dear chil-
dren. Christ works against the power of sin, and where sin abounded, grace
much more
abounds."—Selected Messages,
book. 1, p. 394.
"Many are not wholly committed to the cause of God. . . . They do not
make holy endeavor to overcome every wrong, and through the imputed
righteousness of Christ, perfect a righteous character."—Messages
to
Young People,
pp. 28, 29.
"Through faith in His name He imputes unto us His righteousness, and
it becomes a living principle in our
life."—That I May Know Him,
p. 302.
"The resolutions you may make in your own finite strength, will be
only as ropes of sand; but if you pray in sincerity, surrendering yourself,
soul, body, and spirit, unto God, you put on the whole armor of God, and
open the soul to the righteousness of Christ; and this alone—Christ's im-
puted righteousness—makes you able to stand against the wiles of the
devil."—Sons and Daughters of God,
p. 346.
7. How does Paul arrive at the conclusion that the righteousness that
God gave to Abraham is also available to the Gentiles? Gal. 3:7-9;
Rom. 4:16, 17; compare Matt. 3:7-9; 8:11, 12.
Heirs of the promise.
The Jews prided themselves on the fact that they
were blood descendants of Abraham. But John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul,
each in his own way, made it clear that a blood relationship counts for
nothing. John went so far as to say that if necessary God could turn the
stones into descendants of Abraham.
The Jews also believed that God had promised them the land of Canaan,
and ultimately the entire world. They supposed that all nations would be
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